Brassiere strap pressure distribution and cushioning member

ABSTRACT

A bra member having top and bottom engageable panels with an inner core therebetween, the top and bottom panels comprising a woven fabric having radially aligned reinforcing threads, first and second engageable straps that are adapted to engage a bra strap, and a resilient core material disposed in the member inner core.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to brassiere members and pads. More particularly, the present invention relates to devices and systems that are adapted to attach around the shoulder straps of a brassiere or the like and cushion the load and redistribute the forces exerted on the shoulders of a wearer to enhance the comfort thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is well known in the art, conventional lingerie, most notably brassieres or bras, have shoulder straps that support the majority of the weight of a woman's breasts. For full-figured women, this weight can be considerable. Commonly, many of these women suffer from back problems, and other health problems due to this weight.

Additionally, the bra straps themselves can cause stress and pain proximate the shoulders. By their nature, the straps exert the entire borne weight upon a very small surface area of the shoulders. Thus, through the course of a wearer's day, the bra straps begin to cut into the shoulders, causing discomfort and often times bruising.

Several shoulder pad devices have thus been proposed to provide a cushion between the bra straps and shoulders. Illustrative are the pads disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,201,078, 5,155,869, 4,945,576 and 4,575,874.

Although the disclosed shoulder pad devices provide cushioning means for the bra straps, the devices do not, and cannot, effectively redistribute the weight or forces exerted on the shoulders by the breasts.

It would thus be desirable to provide bra member that enhances the comfort of the bra; particularly, the bra straps by cushioning the contact area of the straps and redistributing the forces exerted on the shoulders by the straps.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bra member that substantially reduces or overcomes the drawbacks and disadvantages associated with convention bra straps and/or shoulder pads.

It is another object of the present invention to provide to provide a bra member that enhances the comfort of the bra; particularly, the bra straps by cushioning the contact area of the straps and redistributing the forces exerted on the shoulders by the straps.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a bra member that cushions the contact area of bra straps and redistributes the forces exerted on the shoulders by the straps, and is simple in construction and, hence, inexpensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a bra member that enhances the comfort of the bra; particularly, the bra straps by cushioning the contact area of the straps and redistributing the forces exerted on the shoulders by the straps.

In one embodiment of the invention, the bra member includes top and bottom engageable panels with an inner core therebetween, the top and bottom panels comprising a woven fabric having radially aligned reinforcing threads, first and second engageable straps that are adapted to engage a bra strap, and a resilient core material disposed in the member inner core.

As will readily be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, a key advantage of the invention is that the bra member effectively cushions the contact area of bra straps while redistributing the forces exerted on the shoulders by the straps.

Another significant advantage of the invention is that the bra member is simple in construction and, hence, inexpensive to manufacture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following and more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and in which like referenced characters generally refer to the same parts or elements throughout the views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a bra member that is attached to bra straps positioned on a wearer, in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a bra member, in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the bra member shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the bra member shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a bra member top panel showing the position of strengthening and force distribution fibers, in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a side plan view of one embodiment of an enclosure pouch, in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Before describing the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particularly exemplified apparatus, systems, structures or methods as such may, of course, vary. Thus, although a number of apparatus, systems and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention, the preferred apparatus, systems, structures and methods are described herein.

It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments of the invention only and is not intended to be limiting.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains.

Further, all publications, patents and patent applications cited herein, whether supra or infra, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Finally, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

The following disclosure is provided to further explain in an enabling fashion the best modes of performing one or more embodiments of the present invention. The disclosure is further offered to enhance an understanding and appreciation for the inventive principles and advantages thereof, rather than to limit in any manner the invention. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.

As will readily be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the present invention substantially reduces or eliminates the disadvantages and drawbacks associated with conventional bra and shoulder pads for connecting to same. In overview, the present disclosure is directed to improved bra members that provide effective means for cushioning the contact area of bra straps and redistributing the forces exerted on the straps by a wearer's breasts.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, there is shown one embodiment of the bra member of the invention. As generally shown in FIG. 1, the bra member 10 is configured and sized to dwell and fit on a bra strap 101 of a brassiere or bra (denoted generally “100”).

As illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, in one embodiment of the invention, the bra member 10 has a contoured, semi-elliptical shape and includes top and bottom panels 12, 14, which, when secured, form an inner core, and at least first and second engaging straps 16 a, 16 b that are designed and adapted to secure each bra strap 101.

In some embodiments of the invention, not shown, the bra member includes third and fourth engaging straps.

According to the invention, the bra member 10 outer dimensions can be varied to accommodate the size of the wearer and/or bra and/or bra straps. In some embodiments of the invention, the bra member has an overall length in the range of approximately 4-5 in, and a width in the range of approximately 2.5-3.5 in.

In a preferred embodiment, the bottom panel 14 has an outer surface that confronts the shoulder of a wearer, and the top panel 12 has an outer surface that faces opposite the outer surface of the bottom panel 14. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the top 12 and bottom 14 panels are generally congruent, with each having an inner surface that faces one another. In a preferred embodiment, the top 12 and bottom 14 panels are retained together by stitching 17 located peripherally about the panel outer edges, i.e. along the two curved side edges and end, forming an inner core therebetween.

According to the invention, the panels 12, 14 can comprise a conventional flexible woven fabric or synthetic material, including, by way of example, cotton, cotton blend, nylon, polyester, etc. In a preferred embodiment, each panel 12, 14 is constructed of a cotton blend.

Referring now to FIG. 5, in some embodiments of the invention, the panel material includes radially aligned reinforcement threads or fibers 15. According to the invention, the reinforcement threads or fibers 15 are aligned in a predetermined manner to redistribute forces applied proximate the center axis of the panel (12 or 14).

In some embodiments of the invention, the panels 12, 14 comprise a substantially uniformly elastic material, such as Spandex™, Spandex™—Nylon™blends, Spandex™—polyester blends, and Lycra™-Nylon™ blends.

According to the invention, the straps 16 a, 16 b can similarly comprise a conventional flexible woven fabric or synthetic material, including, by way of example, cotton, cotton blend, nylon, polyester, etc. In a preferred embodiment, each strap 16 a, 16 b is constructed of nylon.

According to the invention, the straps 16 a, 16 b also include closure means that is adapted to connect each end of the straps. In some embodiments of the invention, the closure means comprise a conventional male-female snap arrangement, as shown in FIG. 2 and denoted 20.

As is well known in the art, the snap arrangement 20 includes at least one male component 24 and at least one female component 22. In the illustrated embodiment, two female components 22 are provided to facilitate different sized straps.

In some embodiments of the invention, not shown, the closure means comprises a simple Velcro™ arrangement; a first Velcro™ strip being disposed on the inner side of strap 16 a and a second cooperating Velcro™ strip being disposed on the outer side of strip 16 b.

According to the invention, the inner core of the bar member 10 includes a resilient material that enhances the cushioning capability of the member 10 and, jointly with the reinforcing threads or fibers 15 incorporated in each panel 12, 14, redistributes the forces transmitted to the bra straps 101 and exerted on a wearer's shoulder. In some embodiments of the invention, the resilient core material comprises natural rubber, polymeric and rubber compounds, closed cell EVA, and polyethylene and polyurethane foams. In some embodiments, the resilient material comprises a plurality of polymeric or Styrofoam™ beads.

According to the invention, the resilient core material can be placed directly in the inner core of the member 10 or contained in a pouch 30, such as illustrated in FIG. 6, which can be placed in the inner core of the member 10.

In some embodiments of the invention, the resilient material comprises a gel formulation. In some embodiments of the invention, the resilient material comprises a silicone gel material. According to the invention, the silicone gel material can comprise liquid-state silicone gel or liquid-state silicone rubber.

As will readily be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the present invention provides numerous advantages compared to prior art shoulder and bra pads. Among the advantages are the following:

-   -   The provision of a bra member that effectively cushions the         contact area of bra straps and redistributes the forces exerted         on the shoulders by the bra straps.     -   The provision of a bra member is simple in construction and,         hence, inexpensive to manufacture.

Without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, one of ordinary skill can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions. As such, these changes and modifications are properly, equitably, and intended to be, within the full range of equivalence of the following claims. 

1. A bra member for use by a person wearing a bra having at least one shoulder strap, the bra member consisting of: a top panel having an outer surface and an outer edge, said top panel including a first engagement strap having first and second ends and a second engagement strap having first and second ends, said first ends of said first and second engagement straps being secured to said top panel outer surface; a bottom panel, said bottom panel being substantially congruent to said top panel and having an outer surface and an outer edge, said bottom panel outer edge being engageable to said top panel outer edge, forming an inner core therebetween, said top and bottom panels comprising a woven fabric having radially aligned reinforcing threads; a resilient core material disposed in said member inner core; and bra strap securing means for securing said first and second engagement straps to a shoulder strap of a bra, said bra strap securing means including strap securing means for securing said second end of said first engagement strap to said second end of said second engagement strap.
 2. The bra member of claim 1, wherein said top and bottom panels are constructed of a flexible woven fabric material.
 3. The bra member of claim 1, wherein said top and bottom panels are constructed of a flexible synthetic material.
 4. The bra member of claim 1, wherein said bra strap securing means comprises a male-female snap arrangement.
 5. The bra member of claim 1, wherein said bra strap securing means comprises a Velcro™ arrangement.
 6. The bra member of claim 1, wherein said resilient core material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, polymeric and rubber compounds, closed cell EVA, and polyethylene and polyurethane foams.
 7. The bra member of claim 1, wherein said resilient core material comprises polymeric or Styrofoam™ beads.
 8. The bra member of claim 1, wherein said resilient core material comprises a silicone gel material. 